HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Dec. 31, 2004 (The author has penned five published romances — under female pseudonyms; three of which were Harlequin SuperRomances). Why is it, of all the romance novels offered, each and every month, to the avid reader, so few reach the Elysium heights of “monster Best Seller” status? It’s because so few romance novels are given the chance, via word of mouth, print and/or other advertising, and/or rack time, to gather the ever widening readership necessary to allow their rise to the top. If it does happen, the chances are one-hundred to one it’s a hard-cover book with an advertising budget and not an original paperback. The reality for any romance paperback (that the format in which the majority of romances reach the stands), is that it pretty much has a shelf life of only one month. It arrives on the stands unheralded, along with its competition of over a hundred other romance paperbacks scheduled out that month. By the time someone buys it, reads it, and decides it’s a virtual “gem” to be recommended all-around, the chances are good the book is already out of stock and out of print. Pretty much, retailers receive from each major romance publisher a monthly pre-determined quota of that publisher’s total output for that month, based not upon any individual book’s potential for success but upon past sales (by that retailer) of the imprint as a whole — or, more likely, based upon contract stipulations between retailer and publisher: i.e. twenty Harlequin Regency, twenty Intrigue, twenty whatever. When these original “lots” are sold, none of the same are reordered. Not only because the publisher isn’t likely to have any extra in stock, but because room has to be made on the retailer’s shelves for the incoming new batches of twenty- this and twenty-that destined for delivery each and every month. A good romance that might have found more readers, over a long shelf life, is never given the chance. “We don’t really look upon our paperback romances as ‘books,’” said the marketing honcho of a major romance house, “as much as we look upon them as interchangeable boxes of soap. A customer buys one of our paperback romance novels, uses it up in one month, and comes back for another of the same, albeit with a tad different packaging, regular as clockwork. The product: girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy, girl marries boy, fade to happy-ever- after ending. The packaging: a different cover, usually but a variation on the same hunky-man-kissing/hugging-woman theme. The buyer always knows just what she’s getting; maybe that’s not always stand-out, but it’s always consistent, and consistency sells.” So, if a paperback romance recommended to you as a good read is out of stock at the bookstore, and out of print at the publisher, don’t hesitate to search it out at your nearest second- hand book store. Some used-book stores are presently devoted entirely to romance genre. Maybe, once publishers discover readers are searching out recommended romances via second-hand purchases (from which, to their eternal chagrin, publishers receive no profits), publishers will start giving quality-versus-quantity romance novels more shelf-life, and suitable promotion budgets as well. ------------ About the author William J. Lambert III: Take a look at his books: Email: the.lambert.iii.laager@worldnet.att.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
